Just another Sunday
by Insane Alecto
Summary: A day in the life of Shizuru and Natsuki set 5 years post HiME. ShizNat. Pointless fluff and sillyness.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Shizuru and Natsuki. Sunrise does. All I own is an overactive imagination which spawned the inanity that is this fic.

**Warning:** There be fluff ahead, more than enough to choke on. Seriously. You should also know that this is very dialogue heavy, my pointless fluff usually is. And it _is_ pointless. In essence, if you're looking for something with substance and meaning, this is not the fic for you.

**Pairing:** Natsuki/Shizuru, established relationship, set, like, 5 years post HiME.

**

* * *

**

**Just another Sunday.**

**  
9am.**

It was a Sunday morning like any other in the Fujino, almost slash, Kuga household. It was spring and the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and they both had the day off.

In fact, everything seemed peachy except for the argument currently going on in the bathroom.

Natsuki stood looming, arms crossed, over the bathtub which contained a very relaxed looking Shizuru, bubbly foam up to her chin.

"Say it!" Natsuki demanded rather loudly.

"No." Came the reply in a calm, collected voice.

The dark haired woman almost visibly resisted the temptation to stamp her foot in frustration.

"Why not?" She demanded, almost, but not quite, whining.

Sighing, Shizuru regarded the irate female with weary amusement.

"You're being silly, Natsuki. Honestly, what difference does it make?"

"If it's so silly and doesn't make a difference there should be no problem with you saying it."

Shizuru pursed her lips, thinking. This whole thing was just so ridiculous, she had no idea why Natsuki had decided to make it such a huge thing but… she wasn't about to just roll over and cave. No, two could play this game.

"If I say it, will you admit _it_?"

She smiled at Natsuki's puzzled frown.

"Admit what?"

The smile grew. "You know what."

A few seconds ticked by where Shizuru waited patiently for the gears to stop visibly turning in her lover's head. When they did, a very endearing blush immediately coloured Natsuki's cheeks.

Glaring indignantly she pointed a finger at the relaxed woman.

"You're insane." She said, quite seriously. "You can't compare the two like that."

Shizuru shrugged easily and blew some foam at the glowering woman.

"Fine, be like that, I'm going for a run."

Turning on her heel, Natsuki stalked out of the bathroom, leaving a silently laughing Shizuru behind. She could hear the muffled sounds of clothing being tossed about followed by cursing. She knew very well that Natsuki was futilely searching for her running shoes. What astounded her though was that in the six months they had practically lived together, Natsuki had still not learned where to look.

"Shizuru! Where the hell-"

"Have you tried the hall closet?" the brunette interrupted, leaning back and closing her eyes.

The following silence had an ominous feel to it, Shizuru just waited. A minute passed and then Natsuki appeared in the doorway, sneakers in hand. She held them up as if they were evidence.

"I really wish you wouldn't hide them away like that." She complained.

"And I really wish you wouldn't kick them off all over the place. I tripped over them last night, it's dangerous. Stop doing that and I won't have to put them away."

It had been a long hard battle adjusting to each other's personal habits. Natsuki's approach to her living quarters could only be described as careless, a sharp contrast to Shizuru's borderline anal pedantry. Natsuki would argue that there was order in her chaos where Shizuru would say that haphazardly tossing things right and left could never, ever constitute order.

In time they had reached some kind of compromise where Natsuki would make a conscious effort to pick up after herself and Shizuru would make a conscious effort to not pick up the slack quite so much. It did work to an _extent_.

"Well, whatever." Natsuki dismissed the conversation before it could escalate into a full blown argument. "I'm heading out, do we need anything?"

"Milk, I think." Shizuru replied, not really looking for a fight either.

"Probably need more _mayo_, too. Not that you'd ever notice."

She bent to put on her shoes, missing Shizuru's disapproving frown.

"I'm pretty sure we have that…"

"I'll get some more just in case, then."

"Natsuki, you're right there, why don't you just go look first?"

"I have my shoes on." With that she left the bathroom. "Okay, see you when I get back."

Shizuru sighed. "Not like that's ever stopped you before…"

**

* * *

12pm.**

Natsuki was bored. Really, really bored. She was on the couch in the living room but there was nothing worth watching on the TV. She would have taken her bike out for a ride but the damn thing was in the shop courtesy of late night carelessness. She still hadn't told Shizuru about that. You needed to explain things like that at the right time, Natsuki mused, so the other person wouldn't fly off the handle. Problem was though, that there was seldom ever a 'right time' to tell your significant other that you could have died.

Thinking about it she decided that she was not quite bored enough to start up _that _kind of conversation. Besides, Shizuru was obviously cooking something from the promising scent in the air. She could always tell her after lunch… or tomorrow… or never if she was lucky enough.

She was still bored, though.

Making a disgruntled sound she clicked off the TV, tossed the remote on the coffee table and slouched down in the couch.

Nothing to do, nothing to do.

Glancing sideways she spotted her little stuffed dog in the corner of the couch, she reached over and picked it up.

After a moments studying of the dog, she stuck her finger in its nose.

"I'm bored," she informed the toy.

Predictably, she got no reply. "Well, you're no fun." She muttered. "If you were a real dog, I don't think I'd be nearly as bored as I am. I always wanted one, you know."

Not a bad idea, she mused to herself. She wasn't just a kid anymore so she didn't need parental consent but she did, however, need a certain someone's input. Shizuru probably wouldn't be thrilled given the amount a hair and slobber that came with dogs, but it was worth a shot.

"Shizuru." She called.

A clattering of dishes along with the sound of the kitchen faucet being turned off could be heard.

"Yes?" came the reply a moment later.

Natsuki decided not to beat around the bush. "What do you think about getting a dog?"

There were some additional sounds of clinking and clattering before Shizuru appeared in the doorway, a look of mild puzzlement on her face.

"A dog?" she repeated.

"Yeah."

"In this apartment?"

"Why not?"

She didn't quite understand Shizuru's look of astonishment.

"Well, first of all," the brunette began, sounding very patient. "This place is a bit too small for us _and _a dog. Second, don't you think we should be living together properly before we do something like that?"

Natsuki knitted her brows in confusion. This wasn't exactly going the way she planned. Living together properly? How did you live together any more _properly _than sharing living space? She decided to ask. Sometimes it was better to have Shizuru explain her odd reasonings rather than try to make sense of them yourself.

"Living together properly?" She asked. "Isn't that what we're doing?"

"Well, yes. We are living together in the sense that all of your things are here, your clothes, your music, and anything else you've lugged over here in the past six months."

"I don't understand what you're complaining about here."

Shizuru shook her head.

"I'm not complaining about anything." She said, sounding like she found the whole conversation funny. "I just find it amusing that you would want to get a dog with me yet you still haven't been able to let go of your old apartment."

Oh, that. Yeah, Natsuki still kept her old apartment. She hadn't even thought about it for days but it was nonetheless true. Almost empty, hardly ever visited anymore, but, it was still something of a haven. Maybe even an escape plan if she was completely honest with herself. Not that she wanted to escape… well, usually not, anyway.

She had in the past used her apartment as a sanctuary primarily for when they fought. Their arguments could get very heated, after all. Especially with all the new ways Natsuki had learned to rile up the brunette. Two years ago Natsuki would have said _nothing_ could shatter that sometimes infuriating calmness and poise the Kyoto woman surrounded herself with. Now she knew better. It wasn't easy to piss Shizuru off but it was possible, you just had to know what buttons to press.

About her apartment, though. Maybe it was time to let that go. Take a chance and grow up a little? She really wanted a dog, but not alone, she wanted one with Shizuru.

"Okay, if we get a dog I'll get rid of my apartment. How's that sound?"

Shizuru laughed and shook her head.

"How about you wait until you're ready to let go of it and _then _we can talk about a dog. This is not about pleasing me."

She disappeared from the doorway, leaving Natsuki alone with her thoughts. That wasn't exactly the response she had expected. Although it made sense, she supposed. Thoroughly examining her feelings on the subject she came to the conclusion that maybe it wasn't so much an escape route, the whole keeping her apartment, as it was the fact that it was _hers._ They were currently living in Shizuru's apartment, and even if they both resided there, it was still Shizuru's.

"I think we should move." She suddenly said, surprising herself just as much as Shizuru who by the sound of it had dropped something either heavy or hot. It was a very rare thing that Shizuru cursed, which was why Natsuki treasured these moments when she did. She snickered quietly to herself while she waited for Shizuru to appear.

"I'm sorry?" The brunette asked when she was done with whatever she was doing.

"I said I think we should move." Natsuki repeated. She was somewhat surprised that she actually meant it. She did want to get a shared place, something that was theirs.

"May I ask what brought this on?"

"Well, I was thinking, about the dog and my apartment and this place. I think it'd be nice to have a little house or something, with a little yard, you know, so the dog can go outside…" She trailed off at the look of disbelief in Shizuru's eyes.

"What?"

Seemingly snapping out of whatever haze she was in Shizuru shook her head.

"All right, who are you and what have you done with my Natsuki?"

"Hey, give me some credit. I may have some commitment issues but I'm willing to work through them. I just thought it was a nice idea. To move somewhere that's ours, and not _became _ours, if that even makes sense."

"It makes sense, and it's a nice idea, something we should talk about."

"Isn't that what we're doing right now?"

"No, right now I'm cooking, and you want a dog." Shizuru smiled and went back to her food preparations.

Natsuki grinned at the truth of the statement. While the idea of making their relationship into something more permanent _was_ appealing, it was also somewhat terrifying. She wasn't ready for that, she wasn't even sure if Shizuru was ready for that. She did hope both of them would be, though. Someday. Natsuki played absently with the toy in her hands for a moment.

"Hey, Shizuru?"

"Yeeees?"

The tone of Shizuru's voice clearly conveyed exasperation bordering on irritation. The poor woman _was_ trying to cook lunch, and Natsuki's continued interruptions probably made that more difficult than it had to be. Natsuki decided not to heed the warnings, however.

"Say it." She demanded, not really serious.

Silence stretched, and then:

"Are you going to admit _it_?"

Natsuki smiled at the toy.

"Never."

"Then I'm not saying anything, now get in here and set the table before I do something drastic."

"Ooh, touchy." Natsuki whispered to the little dog. "Better do as she says."

**

* * *

5pm.**

Flipping the laptop shut, Natsuki rubbed at her eyes tiredly. Academics _so_ weren't her thing, she almost regretted picking up those extra courses. What little she had learned in high school seemed woefully inadequate right about now. She would have been quite happy to continue teaching martial arts full time at the local dojo, but then Shizuru had to go and start her lectures about how valuable an education was and blah blah.

Definite downside to living with a teacher? Lectures. Upsides? Homework help and tutoring. It was a toss up, really. In the end Natsuki had agreed to try out a couple of courses part time. It wasn't as horrible as she had first thought it would be, but she wasn't thrilled either. Still, as Shizuru had said more than once, an education opens up doors you never even knew were there. Not that she would ever tell Shizuru that she actually listened.

Standing up she stretched languidly, satisfied with the many pops that were heard. Turning on her heel she went in search of the teacher in question. She found her in the kitchen, bent over a piece of paper at the table. Leaning back against the counter behind Shizuru she just observed the other woman for a few moments.

"What are you doing?" she finally asked when Shizuru made no sign of even having seen her come in.

"I'm writing a letter." The brunette answered, giving Natsuki a glance over her shoulder that clearly said 'isn't it obvious'."

"Well, I can see that, who to?"

There was a pause before Shizuru answered, her voice unusually subdued.

"My mother."

Natsuki had to swallow the reply that immediately came to mind. It was not something Shizuru would have appreciated, but Natsuki had nothing good to say about the woman who claimed to be Shizuru's mother. She was a bitch, plain and simple.

When Shizuru had told them that she had no intention of marrying the 'nice young man' her parents had picked out for her and then told them why, she had been summarily disowned.

It had been over a year since they last talked but Shizuru still sent her letters.

Privately Natsuki thought they were better off as she had never liked Shizuru's mother or her spineless bastard of a father, but she kept that to herself, or tried to at least.

"I don't understand why you even bother." She finally said as neutrally as she could manage.

"She's my mother." Shizuru shrugged.

"So what if she is? That doesn't give her the right to treat you like crap."

"She just doesn't understand."

"She's a bitch." The words slipped out before she could stop them and Natsuki mentally kicked herself. It was a very sensitive subject with Shizuru and she knew that. It was true enough, Shizuru's parents were idiots, they both knew that, but that didn't mean she had a right to insult them. The fact that Shizuru said nothing to refute it only made her feel worse.

Pushing off the counter Natsuki knelt down on the floor behind Shizuru and put her arms around her. The tension almost felt like a second skin on the Kyoto woman, and while she wasn't resisting the touch she wasn't quite welcoming it either.

"I'm sorry." Natsuki apologised, resting her chin on Shizuru's shoulder. "I don't mean to be so harsh, it's just… _she _closed the door in _your_ face. I don't understand why you should be the one to apologise. I guess it makes me angry."

For a long moment they sat in silence until Shizuru slowly began to relax. Heaving a great sigh she leaned back into the embrace.

"I'm not apologising for living with you _or_ for loving you," she said. "I'm just trying to make her understand."

"I think you're fighting a lost cause here, Shizuru." Natsuki told her as gently as she could. "I mean, you're from high society, they expected you to find some nice boring respectable guy and get hitched as fast as possible. Instead you go and pick me. I am not nice, certainly not boring and not very respectable."

She mentally reviewed her list. "Oh, and I'm not very male, either." She added, relieved to see the tiny smile on Shizuru's lips.

"It's sad that they have to be assholes about it, but not unexpected." She continued, tightening her embrace to take the sting out of her words.

Shizuru fiddled with the pen in her hand for a moment before she nodded, almost as if to herself.

"I know." She simply said.

"So… what're you going to do about the letter?"

"I'm not going to send it."

"You sure?"

Shizuru nodded again, stronger this time.

"Yes. You're right. I suppose she'll come to me if and when she's ready."

"For what it's worth I think you're making a good decision." Natsuki said, placing a light kiss below the nearby ear.

Shizuru smiled more fully and Natsuki almost regretted that she could only see a piece of it. The brunette had so many different kinds of smiles, sometimes they were the only way Natsuki could tell what the other woman was thinking.

"And to think _you _of all people led me to it." Shizuru said, twisting around to peer at her. "When did you get so smart?"

Ah, the teasing smile. That one usually meant that crisis had been diverted. They were so close their noses almost touched and Natsuki couldn't help but take advantage of it. Shizuru's lips were soft and warm and never failed to send shivers down her spine. They broke apart slowly, resting their foreheads together.

After a few moments spent in companionable silence a thought started niggling in Natsuki's mind. Could she do it? Was it a bad time to try? Maybe it was actually a _good_ time to try. Hmm…

"Shizuru?"

"Yes?"

"Say it…"

Shizuru actually laughed out loud. That was probably the last thing she expected the dark haired woman to bring up now.

"No, _you_ say it." The brunette countered still giggling, while she tried to remove Natsuki's arms from around her.

"I already have," Natsuki said, not letting go. "I want to hear you say it."

Shizuru stopped struggling and craned her neck to meet her eyes.

"That's not what I mean and you know it." She said pointedly.

Natsuki knew perfectly well what Shizuru meant, but that didn't mean she would go along with it. Especially not considering how utterly ridiculous the confession Shizuru wanted was. Wasn't going to happen, and definitely not without getting what _she_ wanted first.

"Say it… or _else_."

"Or else what?" Shizuru challenged in an exasperated tone of voice.

"Or else I'm going to… bite you."

"That's not much of a threat." Shizuru told her, clearly unimpressed.

"We'll see." Natsuki simply said before drawing in a huge lung full of air. Pulling back Shizuru's collar she blew as forcefully as she could on the skin at her neck. The brunette let out a very uncharacteristic squeal and started struggling madly to get away. Natsuki held on for dear life and repeated the process. Granted, it wasn't exactly biting but it got the job done.

Their struggling eventually led to them tipping sideways onto the floor. Slightly out of breath Natsuki leaned on an elbow and just watched Shizuru laugh. It was a nice sound, one she didn't get to hear as often as she would have liked.

When the laughter subsided, Shizuru reached up and traced her fingers over Natsuki's face. The touch _felt_ more intimate than it should have. Probably because she was staring into those unusual crimson eyes in a rare moment of complete openness. There were no walls there now, just warmth and love, just Shizuru. _She loves me_, the thought struck her at the most random times but never failed to make her breathing catch or her heart skip a beat.

Without thinking about it Natsuki leaned down and kissed her. Needing to show Shizuru what she still had trouble articulating, but nonetheless felt.

Breaking away a little out of breath, Shizuru giggled.

"It's not even Monday." She said, her tone making it clear she was making a joke.

Natsuki didn't get it.

"Monday? What's Mondays have to do with anything?"

"Never mind," Shizuru laughed, trying to resume the kissing.

"No, I think I will mind." Natsuki said after wrestling with temptation for a second.

Shizuru stared at her. Something like mild disbelief in her expression.

"You really don't know what happens on Mondays?" She asked.

"Something special happens on Mondays?"

"Yes, it usually _is_ very special." That tone was far too smug for Natsuki's liking.

"Shizuru, stop being vague, what happens on Mondays?"

The brunette spread her arms wide in an 'I give up' gesture and grinned.

"When you come home from work every Monday, usually between 6 and 6.30pm, we have sex."

It was said so matter of factly it took a moment to process.

"Excuse me?" Natsuki finally sputtered. "You can narrow it down that specifically?"

"It's like clockwork. It doesn't take a genius."

"You're pulling my chain." Natsuki accused with lowered brows.

"I am not."

Natsuki studied the other woman intently but said nothing. She had to be joking, there had to be a clue somewhere. Shizuru met her stare unflinchingly and then obviously decided on more heavy handed tactics.

"Think about it for a minute." She said. "Where am I usually on Mondays when you come home from your evening class?"

What a question. Natsuki wasn't really one to bother remembering things like that. She tried to think back.

"I don't know… on the couch? Sometimes you're in bed reading." She finally answered, after having racked her brain.

Nodding and smiling as if she had just won a huge victory Shizuru asked the next question.

"And where am I most other weekdays when you come home?"

Another moment of silence, as Natsuki considered the question.

"I dunno… you're usually pretty active. Always doing something."

"I rest my case." Shizuru declared clapping her hands together.

Obviously she was missing something here. So maybe they had sex on Mondays more often than other days. What was wrong with that? It didn't mean there was some kind of pattern to it, did it? It just _happened_ to happen on Mondays enough to make it _seem_ like there was a pattern. That had to be it. She was _not_ that predictable.

"Coincidences." Natsuki scoffed. "It doesn't mean anything. Besides we had sex in the bathroom last Monday. "

"Still a Monday and it was only because I forgot all about it. I was in the middle of doing laundry when you came out of nowhere and tackled me. It was very nice but not very comfortable. I prefer it taking place in non- bruising environments."

Natsuki's eyebrows rose as she digested this information. Shizuru was right.

"You've got to be kidding." She exclaimed not at all pleased with this revelation. "I thought that was just me being, you know, spontaneous."

Shizuru grinned "Oh, it's spontaneous all right. Spontaneous like clockwork."

"Geez, I had no idea."

She moved to sit cross legged beside the still prone brunette. Shizuru _was_ right. But why Mondays after work? Then it hit her, those Monday classes were the absolute bane of her existence.

"It's those damn kids, is what it is." She blurted out.

At Shizuru's quizzical look she continued, getting agitated. "It's a bunch of six-year olds with the attention span of two-year olds, they don't listen and they're everywhere. And then there's the idiot parents, always looking so goddamned grateful when they come to pick their spawn up. 'Oh, Kuga-Sensei, was my brat good today?'. So then I have to smile and lie, that yes, he was a right little angel. It's so obvious the only reason they sign those kids up is to have a little quiet time while I baby-sit. I'm always in a bad mood when I leave."

She paused and scratched her jaw, a look of wry amusement on her face.

"I guess then I come home and take out my frustration on you."

"You make it sound as if you come home and assault me. I never said I minded."

Natsuki sighed. "Monday sex… God, it sounds boring referred to like that."

"That doesn't mean you're going to stop, does it?"

Shizuru actually sounded concerned and Natsuki had to laugh.

"No, that means I'm going to forget we ever had this conversation, and tomorrow I'm going to come home and assault you… again."

They shared a smile.

**

* * *

10pm.**

They were on the couch in the living room enjoying a quiet end to a quiet day. Shizuru sat at the right end of the couch grading essays while Natsuki relaxed full length with her head in the brunette's lap. She was channel surfing very rapidly. Shizuru refused to look. She didn't watch much TV as it was but channel surfing really annoyed her.

Finally Natsuki settled for some random anime show. Shizuru glanced at it but didn't recognise what it was. It all looked the same to her.

"Hey," Natsuki tapped her knee with the remote to get her attention. "Do you think Midori ever managed to make anyone listen to that 'HiME-Sentai' anime pitch she was talking about last time we saw her?"

"I don't know," Shizuru answered after giving the question due consideration. "But I would hope she'd at least give us a warning if she did."

"Yeah… I dunno how I feel about that. I mean, the way she described it… it just didn't sit right with me. Did you know she actually had drawings?"

"No, I think I missed that, but it doesn't surprise me."

"She gave us _costumes_." Natsuki's voice clearly conveyed her horror at the prospect. "They looked like an unholy union between Gundam Wing and Sailor Moon gone horribly, horribly wrong."

"Really?" It was the only reply she could think of as she had no idea what any of those shows were. Well, she had a vague idea of what Sailor Moon was; it was hard to miss that particular franchise.

"And speeches!" Natsuki continued to rant. "Not even cool speeches, but really, really lame ones."

"For peace, love and justice?" Shizuru asked.

"Basically, yeah."

Shizuru liked Midori, the woman was energetic and positive and absolutely exhausting but a very loyal friend. So maybe she was a bit childish in some areas but then again who wasn't? However, the idea of being given a costume and cheesy speeches didn't sit well with Shizuru either. Hopefully no one would take the whole idea seriously; it _was_ pretty outlandish, after all.

"Anyway," Natsuki continued. "If she uses me in something and doesn't give me a chance to say no I'm gonna kick her ass."

Shizuru moved her free hand to sift gently through the agitated woman's hair "I'm sure she knows that." She said.

Natsuki didn't answer. Instead she seemed to relax more fully, letting go of her indignation.

"I'm tired," the dark haired woman informed the world at large a couple of minutes later.

"Go to bed," Shizuru answered automatically, her eyes never leaving the paper in her hand.

"Say it first."

Shizuru gave up trying to concentrate and looked down into pleading green eyes. Natsuki really knew how to make herself look adorable but Shizuru had no intention of falling into that trap.

Gently ruffling the dark hair under her hand she leaned down until they were almost nose to nose.

"My answer is still no." She intoned very seriously.

Natsuki saw and understood the look because she heaved a resigned sigh.

"Well, if you're not going to play with me I'm going to bed."

"Goodnight." Shizuru offered pleasantly.

Rolling off the couch, Natsuki got huffily to her feet. Taking a few steps in the direction of the bedroom she suddenly stopped and spun around.

"It's only 19 words! It would take no more than a second, come on."

"It's 22 words, actually." Shizuru informed her helpfully. "And that's not what it's about anyway, it's the principle. Unless… you're ready to give me what _I_ want."

Natsuki snorted in the kind of way that essentially said 'no way in hell', turned on her heel and managed to take two steps before her face almost met the floor. She righted herself in the nick of time by grabbing the nearby bookcase, rattling it enough to make a small notebook fall out and hit her on the head.

For a moment both of them remained absolutely stock still, then, as one, their eyes turned to the floor and what had caused Natsuki's near accident.

Shizuru felt vindication soar through her veins. On the floor lay a sneaker, quite innocently tipped on its side. Natsuki turned a murderous look on Shizuru who wisely refrained from out right laughing with glee.

With as much dignity as she could muster, Natsuki picked up the offending object. She pointed it at Shizuru.

"Not. A. Word." She enunciated carefully.

Fighting a losing battle against her amusement, Shizuru mimicked locking her mouth with a key.

She watched as Natsuki stalked out of the room, and a moment later heard what she assumed to be the hall closet being slammed shut. Then she started laughing. Oh, but it was nice to be right sometimes. Wiping at the tears in her eyes, she started working on the essays again.

**

* * *

10.30pm.**

Adding a final comment to the essay in her hands Shizuru smothered a yawn. It was definitely time for bed. After a quick detour to the bathroom for teeth brushing and the like, she crept silently into the bedroom, taking great pains to be quiet as she undressed.

"Stop sneaking around." The muffled voice sounded barely awake.

"I was trying not to wake you."

"Wasn't sleeping… 'sides it creeps me out. It's better if you make some noise."

"I'll keep that in mind, then."

She was hardly all the way into bed before a strong arm snaked out and grabbed her from behind. With it followed the solid sensation of the rest of Natsuki pressing close. Honestly, sometimes Shizuru felt like nothing more than a big comfort blankie. Not that she really minded.

She stared into the darkness for a moment, not quite ready to sleep yet. There was something niggling at the back of her mind. Something she should do. Oh, right, _that_. She did not relish the idea of being the one giving in, but she was not about to start the next day with the same argument, either.

"Natsuki?" she ventured quietly.

"Mmm?"

Biting her lip, Shizuru sighed in defeat. She cleared her throat and recited the lines Natsuki had so adamantly insisted on the night before. The very lines that had marked the whole day.

"Mayonnaise is the very pinnacle of culinary delights; it enhances everything, tarnishes nothing and is essentially world peace in a handy bottle."

Absolute silence fell in the wake of her declaration, time even stretched to the point where Shizuru felt certain Natsuki had fallen asleep.

Then Natsuki started laughing, loudly. It shook both the bed and Shizuru with the force of it. Hearing the sound soothed the brunette's faintly bruised pride though, and she couldn't quite stop the answering smile.

"Was it worth it?" She asked once the giggles had subsided behind her.

Resting her weight on one elbow, Natsuki leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Shizuru's lips.

"Yes, it was worth it." She confirmed. "The delivery was especially priceless."

"I'm glad."

And she was, sort of. Someone had to be the grown up, after all. It would have been nice if she could have gotten the confession she wanted in return but knowing Natsuki that was unlikely. Oh well. She would have to settle for being the mature one. Small comfort, but it was all she had at the moment. She was just about to snuggle down and close her eyes when Natsuki suddenly spoke.

"Shizuru?"

"Yes?"

There was a lengthy pause.

"IadmitthatI'magreatbigcuddlerandjustanoverallsofty. But only with you! And you better not _ever_ tell anyone!"

Grinning like the Cheshire cat Shizuru had no problem making that promise.

"Not a soul."

So, in the end they both got what they wanted, and tomorrow would be another day. It wasn't long before sleep claimed them both.

* * *

God, I'm such a dork but I can't help it. These things just pop up.

I told you it was pointless.


End file.
